The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the incumbent governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, winner of Saturday’s governorship poll in the state.

State Resident Electoral Commissioner for INEC, Bamidele Omole, who announced the results early Sunday, said Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress, APC, won in 22 out of 30 local government areas of the state to defeat his main challenger, Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democracy Party,PDP, who won in eight local government areas.

The candidate of the APC scored 394,684 while Omisore score 292,747 votes; candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Fatai Akinbade, got 8,898 votes to clinch third position.

The APC had clear lead in Atakumosa, Ayedaade, Ayedire, Boluwaduro, Boripe, Ede north, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ife east, Ifedayo, Ifelodun, Ilesa, Ila, Irepodun, Irewole, Iwo, Obokun, Ola-Oluwa, Olorunda, Oriade, Orolu, and Oshogbo council areas.

However, Ife Central, Ife north, Ife south, Ishokan and Odo Otin council areas proved to be strong points of the PDP as they won in these areas.

In the days leading up to the election, the APC had alleged that there was a grand plan by the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to disenfranchise some members of the APC and distort election results in favour of the PDP.

On the day before the election, the national publicity secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, along with Sunday Dare, the media aide to the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the deputy chief of staff to Ogun State Governor, Afolabi Salisu, were arrested and later released by security agents in Osogbo, for reasons that remain unclear.